But the first-year Bomber head coach may have paid the former quarterback the ultimate compliment when they sat down together yesterday.

Berry was recalling some of the Winnipeg-Montreal meetings of the past, when he was an assistant coach with the Alouettes and Jones was guiding the high-flying Bomber offence.

And his recollections included Als defenders coming off the field shaking their heads, saying, "We keep hitting the guy, and he keeps coming back."

CALLING CARD

If Jones had a calling card, that was it: he'd throw touchdown passes, but take a pounding while doing it.

"It makes me feel good, just knowing the guys around the league respected me and thought I knew what I was doing out there," Jones said. "I felt that was one of my strengths, that I could get up and still deliver."

The wear and tear likely contributed to Jones's downfall in 2004, when the Bombers shipped him to Calgary.

At the time, fans were all over him, but Jones says he doesn't let that affect the way he remembers his time here.

"It'll always be a special place for me, no matter what," he said. "We had the only winning seasons here in a lot of years. I'm really proud that we turned things around and got to a Grey Cup. The fans were great. Anytime I go around Winnipeg people recognize me and say, 'Hey, I loved that.' And that's more than I could have asked for out of a career."